« Sunday Socks Part 2 | Main | For a Good Time.... »
January 31, 2006
On Color
Nona wrote a nice entry about color dominance a while ago. Sranded color knitters are told that they are to always strand the same color[either CC or MC knitter's choice] the same way~ from below, typically left hand, or above, typically right hand. I was quite pleased, several years ago, to have Meg Swansen comment on some gloves I knit noting that I had obviously followed the trueism of maintaining dominance. She didn't use those terms but I was pleased nonetheless. It is difficult for me to remember which yarn is being submissive vs which is being dominant. I don't keep notes on such things myself and when I travel from one mitten or sock or even, truth be told, a project that has been set aside for while I spend quite some time peering at the insides trying to puzzle through what I did. For those who do not believe in the power of dominance I have pictures. Recently I ordered Inca and one of the designs utilizes dominance vs submissiveness as a feature. Copyright police please don't call me cause I rudely photographed the swatch photo and chart photo. It is enough to knit an entire garment from but I hope you like having the math already done for you and won't. Or buy the book at least~ excellent stuff in there. Photo 1 is the swatch:
Note how on the right side the white stands out and on the left the gray stands out. At first I thought this effect was created by maybe doubling the white vs gray or working two sts in the white vs gray. And pardon the flash btw~ only so many times I will photograph something I really shouldn't. The guilt is eating away at me.... Anyway I puzzled over the swatch for a few minutes and then looked at the chart:
I have no idea what Mork and Lys means but I can only assume 'dominans' means what it kinda sounds like~ dominance. Especially given that it is a 1/1 pattern on both sides. If you ever doubted the importance of maintaining color dominance I hope this proves the point. I know those photos in FI books that say see how this color stands out more in this swatch didn't seem like much proof to me. And how clever of Isager to use it!
Anyway I wanted to talk a bit about color because I have been thinking on such things. I personally am 'a winter' preferring jewel or deap dark rich tones that are nice and cool~ blues, greens, purples, black, bleached white and blue reds. But lately I have been admiring other people's knits that are beiges, browns, and creams. Even orange! And a mitten in the Cimdu book that is screaming 'knit me' just happens to be a pastelly blue[the worst possible shade of any cool color is pastelly] with yellow on it. Yellow. Now these colors make me look like I have been feeding the maggots for quite some time. And I started wondering about color trends. How, for example, FI used to be woad and indigo and carmine with some gold thrown in and then became natural sheepy colors. It was a trend from what I have read. I wonder if Elka is getting ready to embark on natural colors. Somehow they just seem more knitterly to me right now. More earthy and natural and to the roots. Forget that most of them look dingy and dirty on top of making me look dead~ knitterly as in I am isolated woman knitting by the peat fire with yarn I spun shorn from sheepies on farm. No dyes available to my overwhelmed with keeping myself and family warm tasks. Or if available too time intensive for my dozens of kids needed to keep the farmland running. Ah the romanticism of knitting.
I'm off to knit a bit more on the shawl~ one more row to go before its grafting time~ and ponder the vagaries of color preferences. Til tomorrow yarny days and knitterly evenings....
Posted by Elka at January 31, 2006 10:15 PM
Comments
Wow I love that cable. I have pondered more than once how something like that would work. I'd love to base a whole sweater on the idea.
Posted by: CarolineF at February 1, 2006 07:23 AM
Glad you got your Inka (and I'm so glad they finally re-released it) -- I just love Isager's stuff!!!
Posted by: k at February 1, 2006 09:31 AM
I bet you could find naturally dyed wool (or fleece to spin) that would flatter your coloring. You might need some specialty books if you wanted to make your own, but they're out there--Norma likes to post about them from time to time.
That swatch photo is incredibly striking. Hard to believe a difference like that could come just from holding the yarns a certain way!
Posted by: Beth S. at February 1, 2006 11:26 AM
Elka- there's only one flaw with that technique that I can see- you must be able to tell your left hand from your right. And I can't always be sure of that! LOL
Posted by: Lorraine The Knitting Hammy at February 1, 2006 03:48 PM